How do you evaluate the social impact of game design?

1 Define your goals

Before you can evaluate the social impact of your game design, you need to define what you want to achieve with your game. What is the purpose of your game? What are the intended outcomes and benefits for the players and the society? How do you measure these outcomes and benefits? These questions will help you set clear and specific goals for your game design, and to align them with your vision and values. You can use frameworks such as the Theory of Change or the Logic Model to help you map out your goals and the steps to reach them.

2 Identify your stakeholders

Your game design does not exist in a vacuum. It affects and is affected by various stakeholders, such as the players, the developers, the publishers, the reviewers, the regulators, the educators, the activists, and the general public. Each stakeholder group may have different needs, expectations, interests, and perspectives on your game design. You need to identify who your stakeholders are, and how they relate to your game design. You can use tools such as the Stakeholder Analysis or the Power-Interest Grid to help you prioritize and engage with your stakeholders.

3 Choose your methods

There are many methods to evaluate the social impact of your game design, depending on your goals, stakeholders, resources, and time. Some of the most common methods are surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, playtests, analytics, case studies, and experiments. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you may need to combine multiple methods to get a comprehensive and reliable picture of your game design's social impact. You need to choose your methods carefully, and to plan how to design, implement, analyze, and report them.

4 Collect your data

Once you have chosen your methods, you need to collect your data. This involves recruiting and sampling your participants, preparing and testing your instruments, conducting and recording your sessions, and organizing and storing your data. You need to follow ethical and legal guidelines, such as obtaining informed consent, protecting privacy and confidentiality, and avoiding bias and harm. You also need to ensure the validity and reliability of your data, by using appropriate techniques such as pilot testing, triangulation, and quality control.

5 Analyze your data

After you have collected your data, you need to analyze your data. This involves processing and cleaning your data, exploring and visualizing your data, applying and testing your models, and interpreting and synthesizing your results. You need to use suitable methods and tools, such as statistics, software, frameworks, and indicators, to analyze your data. You also need to acknowledge the limitations and assumptions of your data, by considering factors such as errors, outliers, confounding variables, and generalizability.

6 Communicate your findings

Finally, you need to communicate your findings. This involves summarizing and reporting your findings, discussing and contextualizing your findings, and recommending and implementing your findings. You need to tailor your communication to your audience, purpose, and format, such as reports, presentations, articles, podcasts, or games. You also need to solicit and respond to feedback, and to monitor and evaluate the impact of your communication and your game design.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?